Into the real world
by wishpot
Summary: What will happen when Shizuo and Izaya find themselves in a parallel universe where they are characters of an animated TV series? How will their relationship change when they are forced to work together to figure out what is going on? This is my first fanfic, I hope you like it :) Shizaya! [I do not own the cover photo. Sourced from google]
1. Chapter 1 - Into the real world

**Hi eveyone :)**  
**This is my first fanfic! I'm writing this because I love Shizaya, and it's good short story writing practice.**

**Anyway, I want the story's plot to be a bit of a surprise (although I'm sure some people will work it out straight away), so once all is revealed in a future chapter, I'll comment on it.**

**Please feel free to leave a review!**  
**~~~Zoe**

* * *

"IIIIIZZAAAAYYAAAAAA-KUN"

Of course, this sound could only mean one thing. Shizuo Heiwajima, the monster of Ikebukuro, had just run into his arch nemesis, Izaya Orihara.

"Well if it isn't Shizu-chan~!" Izaya exclaimed with his typical, sarcastically sweet, tone of voice. "How can I help you on this fine afternoon, _Shizu-chan_?"

"How about you get the hell out of Ikebukuro, or let me kill you right here?" Shizuo snarled rhetorically, knowing that this fight would most likely pan out like every other one of their fights - with no victor. Izaya whipped out his knife and began taunting Shizuo, swiftly and gracefully dodging his attacks, and parrying occasionally with his blade. Suddenly, Izaya misread Shizuo's actions and a fist was heading straight towards his face. It was too late, there was nothing he could do to dodge. Just as Shizuo's fist was about to make contact, a bright light flashed and the pair lost consciousness.

* * *

When they came to, they were in a completely unrecognisable street, which to Izaya was slightly unsettling because he knew Ikebukuro like the back of his hand, and this place was definitely not Ikebukuro. He and Shizuo looked around simultaneously while blinking away the spots in their eyes, trying to get their bearings. When they looked each other in the eyes a silent, mutual truce was formed… at least until they figured out what just happened. Confusion clearly staining each other's faces, they pondered the phenomenon that had caused them to wind up in a strange area, still without uttering a word to the other.

_Teleportation…? What the hell, that's not possible. Why the hell did I have to get stuck with this stupid protozoan, and where the hell are we?!_

"What did you do, flea?!" Shizuo growled angrily at Izaya.

"Shizu-chan~" Izaya said playfully, his famous smirk spreading itself across his face, "You know perfectly that_ not even I_ would be capable of causing something like this to happen." Shizuo looked down, balled his fists and clicked his tongue. _Tch. That annoying flea's got a point._

"Well then, if you weren't responsible, what the hell just happened?" Shizuo mumbled.

"How would I know, Shizu-chan?"

"Tsk. So what do we do then?" the frustrated blonde asked. Before Izaya had the chance to answer, a young male approached the pair.

"Holy shit! Your cosplay is amazing! You look exactly like Izaya and Shizuo!" he exclaimed with a big grin on his face. "Can I get a photo with you guys?"

"What the hell do you mean _look like_? I _am_ Shizuo Heiwajima." Shizuo replied

"Oh _yeah… _And _I'm_ Kida Masaomi," the male said sarcastically. "But seriously, great cosplay."

" - the fuck, punk? Is this some kinda joke? Because you're pissing me off. Do you want me throw you to the other side of Ikebukuro?! And what the hell is cosplay?! Did Izaya pay you to do this to annoy me on purpose?!" Shizuo replied through gritted teeth, bending down so he was face to face with the young man and glaring at him through angry eyes.

"Now, Shizu-chan, calm down, I'm sure he means no harm~" Izaya chirped. _This is getting interesting. I'm just as curious about what this guy is saying as Shizu-chan is, but I'll let him embarrass himself first. This is fun to watch~_

"Shut up flea," Shizuo snapped at Izaya

"No way," the male said, his eyes widening with excitement. "You guys are role players!? This is so awesome! You're exactly like them! By far, most realistic cosplay I've seen, you've-" The male was cut off by the buzzing of his mobile. He glanced down at it, made a disappointed face, then looked back up at the pair.

"I've gotta run, maybe I'll see ya 'round _Shizuo _and _Izaya_," the male said as he laughed to himself and ran off down the street.

"The hell was his problem!?" Shizuo grumbled

"Cosplay- " Izaya said, completely ignoring Shizuo's comment. Izaya paused, and continued once Shizuo had had the time to cool off and give him his full attention. "- is dressing up as a character from something… And role play is acting like them, haven't you seen Erika and Walker doing it before?" Izaya smirked, but something about his tone was almost… serious?

"What are you implying?"

"Implying! I'm surprised a protozoan like you would even know that word, let alone know how use it," Izaya taunted, swiftly changing the subject.

"Izayaaa-kun…."

"ANYWAY" Izaya said, changing the subject once again in the hopes of distracting Shizuo from the rage that was quickly boiling inside him, "It's getting late. We should find some place to stay."

_And find somewhere that has access to the internet. I need to check some things..._


	2. Chapter 2 - Discovering character

Shizuo flopped onto the hotel bed, and let out an exasperated sigh.

_I never thought that day I'd be forced to share a hotel room with that annoying flea would come. _

He folded his hands behind his head and glanced at Izaya, who had placed himself in front of the desktop computer conveniently located in the room. He refused to admit it, but Izaya's pickpocketing skills were pretty impressive, even though he was sure they'd get busted for using a stolen credit card to pay for the room. _Not that I couldn't just beat everyone up…. _he thought as he drifted into a light sleep.

Meanwhile, Izaya was on the computer. He had just looked at maps, which confirmed his suspicion that they were no longer in Ikebukuro, or anywhere near it. He then proceeded to check the definitions of 'cosplay' and 'role play'. Not that he was _ever _wrong, but he wanted confirmation.. just incase. Whilst being pleased that he was indeed correct, he was also slightly confused. For once, he wasn't sure of everything that was going on, he wasn't in control, and that made him feel uneasy.

_That kid was totally convinced we were roleplaying. If I can read human emotion, and I know I can, he definitely wasn't lying or playing a prank…_

Izaya stared at the blank search bar for a moment, collecting his thoughts before deciding, purely out of curiosity, to search his own name.

[Enter]

To his surprise, hundreds of results appeared. When he clicked on images, he was shocked, yet intrigued to find that all the results were of drawings of him. He recognised the style of the drawings to be similar, no _identical_, to the ones from Erika and Walker's manga books. _Very interesting_ he thought to himself. In all honesty, Izaya felt incredibly rattled by the situation. Not even he, with his superior mind, could understand what was going on, but considering the search results, he wasn't surprised that the male they had met earlier thought they were cosplaying.

Being an information broker, getting information on the situation was not difficult for Izaya. However, _understanding _the information was a different story. Continuing his search, Izaya returned to the web results and clicked on the first option.

"Durarara…" he muttered under his breath as he waited for the page to load.

**_[Izaya Orihara is a powerful and skilled underground informant.]* _**Izaya read, nodding in agreement with a crafty smile plastered on his face. He continued to read.

**_[He usually gives information for his own enjoyment, and claims to love the entire human race, excluding Shizuo Heiwajima. Izaya likes to start fights with him, as seen in episode 25, and then let Shizuo chase him around.] _**_Episode 25..? This is scarily accurate _he thought to himself.

**_[Izaya has the appearance and expression of one who is extremely crafty and confident. He is repeatedly described as a handsome man with a beautiful face by other characters in the novels.] _**Izaya, wearing a triumphant and pleased face, continued to read, noting the mentioning of 'other characters'. _Other characters… that's implying that I, too, am a character… fascinating… _

**_[Izaya is cunning and charming]_**_ Oh stop it~, seriously~ _Izaya thought to himself, swinging on his chair and blushing slightly at onslaught of compliments this website was giving him. He continued reading **_[but despite this, women are not interested in him and he isn't very interested in women as well.]_**_ Well… I guess that's kinda true…_

At this point, Izaya decided to stop reading. This website knew him too well. _Scarily _too well. It almost knew him better than he knew himself. He, instead, began his research into _'Durarara', _but not without stealing a glance at Shizuo, who had been sleeping peacefully the whole time.

_Geez, how can that brute sleep so peacefully at a time like this? Even _I _am kinda freaked out by this situation. I mean, that the actual _fuck _is going on?! _

* * *

***The bold bits are quotes from the ****_Durarara!_**** wiki page, they are not my own words.**

**- I hope you enjoyed this chapter xD**


	3. Chapter 3 - Durarara!

**Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the kind reviews, they made my day!**

**This is the first of two chapters I'm uploading tonight :D It ended up being a lot longer than I was expecting. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Shizu-chan~" Izaya whispered into Shizuo's ear. Shizuo groaned, then readjusted his position. "Shizu-chan" Izaya repeated, slightly louder this time, whilst prodding Shizuo on the cheek. "Ne, stop ignoring me, Shizzy~ Time to wake up"

"Mmphg - Annoying flea" Shizuo mumbled, still half asleep.

"I hate it when you ignore me, Shizu-chan," said Izaya, a mischievous smile spreading itself across his face, before he stood up on the double bed that Shizuo was sleeping on. Izaya bent his knees, jumped as high as he could and landed heavily on the bed, causing Shizuo to bounce diagonally off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

"What the _fuck_?!" Shizuo said, grabbing his forehead with his hand and death-staring Izaya, who was standing atop the bed with his hands on his hips, triumphantly looking down at Shizuo sprawled on the floor with that _annoying _smirk on his face. Shizuo ungracefully got to his feet, looked up at Izaya, then, as quick as a flash, grabbed the very antique looking lamp on the nightstand and pegged it at Izaya's face. Of course, Izaya dodged it with ease, causing the lamp to smash against the wall.

"Gee, Shizu-chan, that lamp looked expensive" Izaya said in a degrading tone, a fake, sad pout plastered on his pale face. Shizuo ignored him, picking up the nightstand itself and raising it above his head.

"Woah, woah, woah, Shizu-chan. No need to get this excited early in the morning~! Didn't we agree it'd be best to keep the fighting to the _bare minimum_, at least until we've figured out what's going on? The last thing we need is another _beautiful _piece of furniture ruined by you, protozoan. Anyway, we have to get going early this morning, I've got shopping to do. I'll shout you breakfast~" Izaya said persuasively, pulling out the stolen credit card and waving it in front of Shizuo like he was some sort of animal.

_That man _is_ an animal. Luckily I have him pretty well trained._

Shizuo reluctantly put down the nightstand.

"Well… let's go then because I'm hungry," Shizuo said, pouting.

* * *

After they ate, Izaya dragged Shizuo into the heart of the city to a particular shop, one selling manga and anime.

"Why are we here?" Shizuo asked, annoyed as he didn't see the point in going all the way into the city to go to a manga/anime store.

"You'll see~" Izaya said as he strode into the store confidently.

"Welcome!" the shop attendant exclaimed. "Cosplayers! Haven't had those here for a while. I must compliment you on your effort, you two look almost perfect!" _Almost perfect, _Izaya snorted while holding in a laugh. Shizuo glared daggers at the attendant, causing him to take a step back. Izaya piped up.

"Thank you" Izaya said, a fake smile on his face. "It was not easy to find costumes that looked this realistic! Would you be able to show me where the Durarara merchandise is located?"

"Izaya what the hel-" Shizuo was cut off by Izaya's glare which said _"play along and don't loose your temper, or I will seriously kill you 3." _

_What the hell is Durarara…? What is this damn flea keeping from me?! _Shizuo thought to himself.

Izaya picked up the box set of the animated TV series, as well as all the light novel volumes, and brought them to the counter where he payed for them using the stolen credit card. He then forced Shizuo to pose for a photo which the attendant wanted to take to add to the store's 'wall of cosplayers', which as you can imagine, Shizuo was not pleased about.

* * *

When they arrived back to the hotel, Izaya placed the DVD into the machine and the two of them sat through 9 hours straight of Durarara! Both of them were unable to utter a single word the whole time. They sat there in utter confusion and awe. This TV series was _of their lives_. Whilst being incredibly weirded out, they both found it fascinating as well. The thing that they both realised was, this was not _based _on their lives, it _was _their lives, right down to the fact that it was _their _voices they were hearing. When Izaya in the show first crossed paths with his enemy, Shizuo's signature battle cry of "IIIZAAYYAAAA-KUN", sent shivers down the 'real' Izaya's spine. It was completely realistic. _That cry could be none other than _the_ Shizu-chan, _he thought.

During the fight scenes, they both got heated, like they were watching a game of sport and they each supported opposing teams. When the winner of the brawl was not clear, they briefly argued about who won the fight, judging from what they saw and their own memories too. When the series ended, the pair sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Finally, Izaya piped up.

"I have two theories," he said in the most serious tone Shizuo had ever heard him use. "One is that we are actually just characters, our memories are fabricated from the episodes we've appeared in, and we have somehow materialised as real humans… The other is that, we are from a parallel universe, and that somehow, someone was able to see into our universe and wrote this based off it. Or perhaps they have a way of capturing what goes on in our universe…"

"I have a theory too" Shizuo said, trying to use sarcasm to the best of his ability.

"Really, little Shizu-chan has a theory!"

"Yeah, my theory is that your theories are bull shit because that's not fucking possible. What the hell just happened? How did that anime know our lives?! Stop messing around with me and tell me the truth! This was your idea, wasn't it?! Yeah, that's right. You're just doing this to screw with me." Shizuo barked, although there was some slight fear wavering in the back of his tone.

_Fuck! What is going on?! I swear if that damn flea is messing with me…_

Izaya was silent. He looked down at his feet and balled his fists, working up the confidence to look Shizuo in the eyes and speak.

"I'm scared, Shizuo." Izaya said, the smirk suddenly leaving his face. The fact that the flea had called him by his name made Shizuo realise that something was wrong. "I'm not in control. I have no idea what the hell is going on. I'm not messing with you." Fuck, admitting that he was scared to that protozoan was not exactly what Izaya wanted to do, but it was his last resort. Although he was ashamed to admit it, he would need Shizuo's help, in order to figure out what was happening to them, so he figured the easiest way to gain his trust was to tell him the truth. When he looked up at Shizuo, he saw that the latter was surprised, yet his facial features had softened into a look that said _"I believe you Izaya."_

"Me too," Shizuo muttered under his breath, looking away. "I am too, okay. I-I'm sorry.. for.. snapping at you" he said quickly and quietly.

The pair decided to call it a night, and went to sleep without uttering another word to each other.

* * *

**Phew, that's the end of the 3rd chapter. Get excited because some Shizaya is finally starting now!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Fan fiction and feelings?

"Izaya…?" The room was silent. Shizuo whispered slightly louder "Izaya-kun…?" Still no reply, so Shizuo raised his voice once more "Izay-"

"What do you want?" Izaya mumbled sleepily, clearly annoyed that the brute had woken him up.

"I can't sleep" Shizuo replied, sheepishly.

"Awww, Shizu-chan~ Do you want me to come over there and snuggle?"

"Cut the crap flea" Shizuo said, rolling his eyes. He thought about what Izaya had said earlier, about the two theories he had proposed. He'd been thinking about them all night and couldn't sleep.

"Do you really think it's possible?" He asked

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific than that, Shizu dear"

"I mean… that we could be characters… or something. Gah, what am I even talking about…"

"I don't know, but when I searched our names the only results were _character _profiles and whatnot."

"You searched us?" Shizuo asked, curiously. "What did it say?"

"Oh, you know, just that I'm really handsome and talented, that sort of thing." Izaya replied with no modesty, emphasis on _handsome _and _talented._

"Pfff, I don't care what it said about you! What did it say about me?"

Izaya yawned. "Oh… just that… you're.. a brute… with no friends.. a monster.. or something" he said, falling asleep.

"You're lying" Shizuo said, defensively. "Izaya?" But Izaya had fallen asleep. _Damn that flea. If we didn't have a truce I'd have smashed his face in by now. I bet he was lying… Although, I am a little curious. _

Shizuo got up out of bed and went over to the minibar and snack shelf, heating up the water in the electric kettle and preparing himself a cup of tea. When the tea was made, he took the cup over with him to the desk and turned on the computer. He wasn't extremely good with computers, but he managed to open an internet browser and get to the search bar. He began typing his name, the suggested results appearing below as he typed. When he pressed space after he had finished typing his first name, a particular suggestion appeared - Shizuo x Izaya. Now, being Shizuo, the first thing he thought when he saw this result was _x… x is for verses. I bet this will be awesome footage of our fights, with me winning of course! _And with that, he innocently clicked on the suggestion. He then clicked on the first link, opening a fan fiction site. Of course, Shizuo didn't know what fan fiction was, so he proceeded to open one of the stories at random. He began to read, as the story began with a fight scene between him and Izaya, and it was written well.

**_[Shizuo had Izaya pinned to the wall of the alley, and Izaya had no way out, no way to defend himself. This fight was Shizuo's to lose.]_** Shizuo grinned triumphantly as he read the line. Enthralled by the author's decision to give him a clear cut win, he kept on reading. **_[Izaya's face looked… scared? Shizuo hadn't seen him make such a pathetic face before, but something about it was saddening. It almost made Izaya look... human.]_** _I guess I can relate to that_, Shizuo thought, taking another sip of his tea before continuing to read, out loud now, whispering so as not to wake Izaya.

"Shizuo lowered his fist and stared at Izaya's pale face. His body began moving on its own, and before he even knew himself, he had pressed his lips against- PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF" Shizuo spat out his tea, his face turning the colour of a tomato. Oddly though, he couldn't bring himself to stop reading. Of course, Shizuo had chosen the story completely at random. He hadn't read the description, and he _certainly_ hadn't noticed the authors warning of 'lemon' (not that he would've known what that was anyway). He continued to read.

**_[As the kiss deepened, Izaya reached down and touched _**_MY WHAT_**_ … he began to- and then he bent down and- _**_OH HELL NO. _**_"I'm sorry, I can't hold back any longer" Shizuo said, panting, before grabbing Izaya by the waist, turning him around and-]_**

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Shizuo shouted, obnoxiously loudly . He was completely and utterly embarrassed, blushing all the way to his ears. _Shit, _he quickly turned around to look at Izaya, _oh good, I didn't wake him. _He sighed with relief_ OK, I think that's enough of _that _for tonight, _he thought before closing the browser and turning off the monitor. He unconsciously looked over at Izaya again, finding himself staring at his sleeping face.

_He looks so innocent like that, peaceful too. Ha, he almost looks kinda cute…. WOAH WOAH WOAH Heiwajima, pull yourself together! Cute?! How laughable! Me, thinking that flea is cute?! Impossible! My mind must be corrupt from that stupid story or something… _

Even so, he found himself walking over to Izaya's bedside. He stood close enough to feel Izaya's cold breath on his arm. The raven's hair had fallen over his face, which looked as smooth as porcelain. Shizuo found himself reaching out a hand and brushing the hair of Izaya's face. His skin was _so_ soft, Shizuo couldn't help running the back of his hand down Izaya's cheek. Shizuo paused when his hand was cupped around his chin before quickly, and awkwardly, running his thumb along Izaya's plump bottom lip. Shizuo was blushing brighter than Rudolph's nose. He felt embarrassed, but he was also, kind of, enjoying himself. Suddenly, as if snapping back to reality, Shizuo quickly removed his hand from Izaya's face and returned it to his side.

_What the hell am I doing?! _

Those lips, though. He had wanted to _kiss _them. Shizuo mentally kicked himself for thinking that, running his thumb and middle finger along his eyebrows. _Something must be _seriously _wrong with me. It must be because I'm tired. Yeah, that's it. I better try and get some sleep._

Unbeknownst to Shizuo, his shout earlier had startled Izaya awake, but he was only able to observe Shizuo standing at the computer desk - with his hands slammed down onto the table - before he drifted back to sleep. At some point in his slumber, he remembered feeling a large, warm hand affectionately caressing his face. He wasn't sure whether he had dreamt it or not, but he doubted that such a _gentle _action could have been performed by his monstrous room mate. All he knew was, he didn't want it to stop.

* * *

**Finally, some Shizaya! **

**It might be a while before I write the next chapter (school work... D: ). I'm not entirely sure where to take it from here (well I have multiple ideas, but I don't know which one to go with), so if you want to make suggestions that'd be helpful! **


	5. Chapter 5 - Gift exchange

**Here is the 5th chapter. To be honest, I don't think it's as well written as the other chapters (issues with pacing I think...) Sorry!**

* * *

Izaya woke the next morning to find Shizuo rummaging through the room in search of something. He observed as Shizuo finally found the stolen credit card... well the second one. Izaya craftily knew to pay for everything using cash, that way when the credit card was finally blocked he could steal a new one without arousing suspicion from the hotel staff.

"I'm just going out to the shop," Shizuo announced, regardless of the fact that Izaya hadn't asked. "I'll buy us something else to wear, so we don't get recognised as cosplayers wherever we go. Do you want to come?"

"Um, nah it's alright. Just pick anything. I'm still a bit tired, so I might sleep some more," Izaya lied, secretly wanting to stay so that he could find out what Shizuo was doing on the computer late last night. Shizuo shrugged and left, leaving Izaya alone with the computer.

_Luckily that idiot didn't clear his browser history_, Izaya thought. Izaya, being very internet savvy, knew instantly what 'Shizuo x Izaya' meant, and was slightly confused as to why Shizuo would have been searching something like that. He put it down to Shizuo's idiocy, but even still, he was curious as to what sparked Shizuo's loud reaction. He followed the trail of purple links, leading him right to the story. He read it through, maturely, although not even he could suppress a blush at times. He knew, instantly, when he had read the part that set Shizuo off, slightly impressed that he had managed to get that far in the story without reacting. He admitted that the story was well written, but he doubted that a reason like that would cause Shizuo to read it. He thought, again, about Shizuo's reasoning for searching this, and sorted through possible options in his head. All the while, his body had started to heat up and his heart began to beat faster. Izaya, being completely unfamiliar with most emotions, especially this one, began to panic slightly. He felt sick in the stomach, and the more he panicked, the harder he found it to breath.

_What is this!? _He looked down at the candy bar he had been eating. _Is this an allergic reaction? Shit, it feels like I'm going to die. _In a panic, Izaya typed his symptoms into the search bar. Even though he knew all too well, being an informant, that internet diagnoses are almost always wrong, he needed to find out what was happening to him.

**_[Feelings such as these are often associated with nerves, embarrassment, or love] _**_Love? _Izaya had never experienced any emotion of the sort, but he was sure what he was feeling certainly wasn't _love. _He closed the browser and went into the bathroom to have a shower.

Izaya got out of the shower just as Shizuo returned to the room.

"Perfect timing," Shizuo said, throwing the shopping bag of clothes he had just bought at Izaya. "Put these on."

Izaya took the clothes with him into the bathroom and closed the door to change. Shizuo took this opportunity to change in the room. Izaya looked into the bag that Shizuo had handed him. In it was a pair of black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a red pullover. He changed into them, surprised at how well they fit. It certainly wasn't _him,_ but it wasn't that bad either. When he walked out of the room he saw Shizuo, wearing practically the same outfit, bar the fact it was in different colours.

"_Matching, _Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked skeptically.

"It's not matching!" Shizuo said, defensively. "My jeans are blue and my jumper is green! I'd hardly call it matching"

"Shizu-chan," Izaya sighed, "It's matching. Hmm… take off your jumper," he demanded.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Shizuo reluctantly did as he was told while Izaya went over to his bed and picked up his parka. When he'd removed the jumper, Izaya was standing behind him.

"Hold out your arms, Shizu-chan~" Izaya said, before slipping the sleeves of his parka over Shizuo's arms. He moved around to Shizuo's front and zipped the jacket up. "There. Now we aren't matching, and I won't have to leave my favourite parka, it's a win win. Boy, am I a genius."

Shizuo stood there in silence, praying that Izaya hadn't noticed him blushing. The parka smelt good, and it was warm. It was a bit too small for him, but he didn't mind. He hadn't expected that Izaya Orihara, his enemy, would ever allow him to wear his favourite jacket. In fact, Shizuo had often imagined himself wearing it as he gloated after finally beating the shit out of the annoying flea. Never had he _ever_ imagined that Izaya would voluntarily _put it on _him.

"Shizu-"

"Oh yeah!" Shizuo interrupted, clumsily rummaging through his shopping bag. He pulled out a small box and held it out.

"Here," he said, looking away. "I got this for you."

"Awww, did little Shizu-chan get me a present~" Izaya teased.

"Don't make me regret it, flea" Shizuo grumbled. Izaya took the box and opened it curiously, revealing a brand new and _gorgeous_ butterfly knife.

"I just thought.. you know.. that you were probably feeling, I don't know, uncomfortable without a knife on you… I mean, seeing as yours got left behind when we got here…. ANYWAY, like I said, don't make me regret it" Shizuo said, looking down at his feet as an attempt to prevent Izaya from noticing his blush. It was almost impossible not to notice a blush like that though.

Izaya stared down at the knife. _Shit. Why is my heart beating so fast?! It's just a knife. Oh great, that horrible feeling is coming back. _Izaya distracted himself by pulling out the knife and skilfully flicking it from hand to hand, occasionally looping it around his back. He then looked at Shizuo, working up the courage to use a word he rarely ever used. Well, not _sincerely_ anyway.

"Thanks" he mumbled, the blush now appearing on his face, his usual confidence going completely out the window.

Awkward, yet warm, silence wasn't a common thing the pair experienced when they were together. The silence was either filled by banter, taunting and yelling, or at least loud breathing while the two tried to recover their breath after running half the distance of Ikebukuro. Finally Izaya spoke, forcing himself to speak with his usual tone of voice, so as not to reveal that he wasn't feeling like himself.

"Anyway Shizu-chan~ we should probably go. After all, we've got a plane to catch!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Not-so-long flight

**Hi! I'd like to start off by thanking everyone for their kind reviews. Especially Lolita Rafane! Your reviews have been so kind, and they motivate me to keep writing this story!**

**Now, I have a question for anyone who would like to answer. How... graphic (?) would you like me to write Shizuo and Izaya's relationship in future chapters? Should I keep it relatively innocent or would you like... details?**

**That's all! Enjoy this chapter! x**

* * *

"Will you tell me what's going on _now?!_" Shizuo asked as their taxi pulled up at the airport's international terminal.

"If you _must _know my ingenious plan," Izaya began, "we're flying to Ikebukuro. And, before you start asking _stupid_ questions, no it most likely will not be the same Ikebukuro, but I figure it might help us to figure out something about this mess we're in."

"I guess that makes sense," Shizuo admitted, gingerly, as the two walked in and joined a queue to collect their tickets. They waited in line for what seemed like forever, especially for Shizuo who impatiently clicked his tongue whenever the queue took longer than 5 minutes to move. When the finally reached the front of the line, Izaya put on his fake smile and took the tickets, earning a blush and a giggle from the woman at the desk.

"Tch" Shizuo said, rolling his eyes and accepting the ticket Izaya was handing to him, inspecting the details. "Economy?" He said, clearly disappointed.

"Even I wouldn't be so _villainous_ as to steal even more money from some poor human. Is that all you see me as, Shizu-chan~"

_Whatever,_ Shizuo thought. Although he wanted the extra leg room of a business class seat, he started to think that being in the tight quarters of economy class with Izaya wouldn't so bad.

The first problem arose when they arrived at the security gates. Having no luggage or personal items, the pair believed they would have no problems, until they remembered Izaya's knife. Shizuo suggested that he should just ditch the knife, but Izaya adamantly refused. This left Shizuo slightly confused.

_He could just buy a new one, it's not like that knife's special or anything… Unless it's because I got it for him..? Bah, that's not how Izaya's mind works. He's probably got some ulterior motive, like taking over the plane or something… After all, he's only pretending to get along with me because we're stuck together… right?_

They stopped for a moment, giving Izaya some time to think of a plan. It didn't take him long to think of something, and the two showed no hesitation in putting the plan into action. Shizuo took the knife and walked as far away from the security gates as he could. Izaya casually walked through the gates and positioned himself as far away on the opposite side. He turned to face Shizuo and signalled with a nod. Shizuo raised the knife above his head and threw it as hard and as high as he could, sending it a tremendous distance across the airport, only stopping when Izaya swiftly leaped and caught it. It flew so fast that you'd only be able to see it if you were expecting it, and it was high enough so that no one noticed. Something like this wouldn't normally be possible, but with Shizuo's monstrous strength, the limits of the human body are almost non existent. Once the knife was successfully past the metal detectors, Shizuo proceeded to join Izaya, who was holding onto his knife with a content look on his face.

The second problem came to light when the pair approached the passport checking booths. Shizuo looked at Izaya and raised an eyebrow as if to say, "_ok genius, how do we get through this one then?"_ Izaya looked back with a smug smile which said "_leave it to me." _He told Shizuo to wait for him at an empty gate and approached the booth.

It didn't take long for the smug smile to be wiped clean off his face. Despite the flirting and the charming act Izaya was putting on, he was unsuccessful at convincing the employee to let them pass without passports. Izaya didn't take defeats well, but he didn't want Shizuo to think he'd lost, so he bounced back over to Shizuo cheerfully. Shizuo looked at him with a wow-you-actually-did-it expression on his face.

"Well~!" Izaya said, "Looks like we're not going to Ikebukuro anymore Shizu-chan~"

Izaya's all too cheerful tone was almost even more annoying to Shizuo than the news he'd received. In fact, the build up of his mixed feelings for Izaya had come to a point where just the slightest slip of the tongue could set him off into a rampage.

"IIIIZZAAAYAAAAA-KUN" Shizuo roared as he wrenched the row of seats he was sitting on off the ground and lifted it above his head. He was breathing loud and fast through his clenched teeth. The adrenalin was pumping through his body, a feeling he had missed for a long time. Although it was partly Izaya's fault, he was most annoyed at his own self for _not _being annoyed at Izaya.

_Why hasn't this damned flea been annoying me!? Why, until now, have I enjoyed his company?! Dammit, why do I feel like this!? I could just smash his face in right here and now, so why aren't I doing it? _

Shizuo was just about to release the row of seats, aiming at Izaya of course, when a security guard trudged over. Shizuo saw him and snapped out of his enraged trance, placing the row of chairs back on the ground while taking deep breaths in order to calm himself down. When the security guard approached them, he walked straight up to Shizuo and placed his finger on the parka Shizuo was wearing. He was a short, stubby man. He had a large nose and his eyes had a pinkish tinge to them. He was constantly squinting through them, as if he was having trouble seeing reality. He turned his head to Izaya and stated,

"This is yours, ain't it," his finger still pointing to the jacket. Izaya nodded, clearly confused by the security guard's reaction. The guard spoke again, "I know who youse are. Youse ain't no pretenders ain'tcha. Youse're the real deal. I heard ya conversation before this, callin' him Shizu n that. Whatcha doin' 'ere then boys?"

The pair stood in silence, glancing at each other - each wanting the other to explain what was going on.

"Yea, that's right. We've had heaps of 'em here. You lot. Them characters all be comin' to this airport. Seen some good'ns over the years. Had this one 'lil pinkette spewin' fire e'erywhere, the crazy bugger. 'Least youse ain't causin' as much damage as 'im. So lemme guess. Youse ain't got no passports 'cos you ain't from 'ere? Follow me then." He said before turning and walking through a locked door, motioning for the two to follow.

They followed him through the door, which turned out to be a door staff could use to get past the passport booths. When they were through the man nodded, then went back through the door. Suddenly, Shizuo burst out laughing. It was a genuine belly laugh. He held onto his sides and practically fell to the floor. Izaya stared at him. His face was really cute when he laughed, in fact, seeing Shizuo in a state of hysterics was really cute. _HOLD UP. Really cute? He's not… that… cute… _Izaya couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. Shizuo's laugh was just too contagious, and before long the two were practically rolling on the floor. In all his life Izaya had never really laughed like this. It was a new emotion, but he liked this one. The duo could have kept on laughing for hours, but their excitement was cut short by a last minute boarding call for their flight.

* * *

They arrived at their gate just in time, out of breath. They took their seats on the plane - the two seats next to a window. Izaya sat against the window and Shizuo sat on the aisle seat. When the plane took off, they both turned on the inflight entertainment systems, essentially ignoring each other, however, within 20 minutes of the flight the entertainment systems turned off. Roars of angered passengers could be heard when the pilots announced that the system had broken down, and that they'd have to wait until their stopover, in 14 hours, before it would be fixed.

At first, Shizuo and Izaya sat in silence, but eventually the boredom was too much and they began talking. Shizuo realised that he'd never actually _talked _to Izaya before, not about anything other than what involved him anyway. The conversation started with them reminiscing about their high school lives, occasionally bringing up Shinra and having a good laugh. Then they began talking about their childhoods, their families, and reciting funny or embarrassing stories of their past. Shizuo noticed something about Izaya during their conversations. When he as smiling, he was really _smiling. _Not that fake smirk he was all too familiar with, but a real, genuine, smile. It was a side of Izaya he didn't even know existed, but he definitely liked it. He even felt like he could actually _get along _with Izaya, maybe that they could even be friends. _Or more than friends… _

"You're blushing Shizu-chan~"

"I am not." Shizuo said, before excusing himself to use the bathroom.

Hours had passed during their conversation, and Izaya thought that those hours might have been the most fun he'd had with another person… ever. He loved humans, but he never really, directly, involved himself with them. This was the first time he'd shared stories with another person. He certainly hadn't expected to ever have a conversation like this with Shizuo. In fact, he didn't know if Shizuo was even _capable _of having a conversation. He was proven wrong. He never knew that Shizuo was actually a really funny and interesting person. Izaya always liked to talk about himself, but this was the first time he'd found himself wanting to listen to someone else talk about themselves. He was tired, and slowly found himself nodding off to sleep.

When Shizuo returned from the bathroom, Izaya had fallen asleep. He carefully sat back down, trying not to wake Izaya. _Why does he look so sweet when he sleeps? _ Shizuo was just about to reach for a magazine in the seat pocket when Izaya's head flopped unconsciously onto his shoulder. Well, it wasn't exactly _unconscious_, but Izaya would never tell Shizuo that. Shizuo looked down at the head that was nestled so comfortably on his shoulder and smiled. He too was feeling tired. The pilot dimmed the lights of the cabin, and Shizuo found himself resting his head on top of Izaya's, before falling asleep himself.

* * *

**Get excited, because here comes the romance! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Cheesecake

Shizuo, still asleep with his head on Izaya's, dreamt about his school life.

He sat alone at his desk during lunch break, looking out the window. All around him people whispered things like "that's the monster isn't it" and "shh don't get too close or he'll kill you." Constantly, eyes were on him, making him feel uncomfortable. Everyone was scared of him, to the point where they'd want him to leave the school. Occasionally, people would work up the courage to tell him that he should just leave, and that no one wanted him there. Normally, in these situations, Shizuo would have beat the shit out of them, but he actually felt sad. _Maybe I should just leave. No one wants me here. Maybe I really am a monster. _Eventually, the students had driven him to a point where he began to hate himself too.

He sat in the dark classroom, miserably, as the next class began. When the teacher walked in, a new student was with him. A boy, who introduced himself as Izaya Orihara. He grinned with the world smuggest smile, but when he entered the room Shizuo felt it suddenly get brighter. He took his seat next to Shizuo and smirked at him. When the class ended, Izaya approached Shizuo's desk, making some snide comment about him being a loner. Shizuo told him to piss off, more out of sympathy for the new guy than out of annoyance. After all, if the new guy was seen talking to 'the monster' he would probably have trouble finding friends. Even after his warning, Izaya refused to budge. He continued to tease him, obviously waiting for a reaction. When he was finally able to arouse the reaction he wanted, he didn't budge. His confidence was unwavering. The dream skipped forward in time, and Shizuo realised that Izaya was the only person who wasn't at all afraid of him. Even though he hated the flea, it made him happy to know that at least someone wasn't afraid of him.

Shizuo jolted awake suddenly as the plane hit the runway. His sudden movement caused Izaya to wake too. Neither of them spoke for a while, both clearly embarrassed by their sleeping position.

"This is your captain speaking. We have now landed at our stopover point. The connecting flight to Ikebukuro will leave in approximately one hour from gate 31. It is currently 5:31pm, May 4. Thank you for flying airasia."

_May 4…? May 4… why do I know this date? Gah, it's going to kill me unless I can remember. _Shizuo raked his hand through his hair, trying to remember why the date was so familiar to him. He stood up as the crowd of people slowly made their way off the plane, making impatient noises at the amount of time it took people just to get off the freakin' plane. When they were finally off the plane, Izaya suggested that they kill time by looking at the duty free shops. When Shizuo saw a cake and sweets shop he suddenly began to feel hungry, so he dragged, a reluctant, Izaya with him into the store. After stocking up on a bunch of sweets he'd never seen before, he noticed Izaya observing a small, yet extravagant, coffee cheesecake. _May 4… May 4…_

* * *

An hour passed easily, and the duo returned back to the gate to re-board the plane. They were met by a sheepish looking flight attendant who informed them that there would be a 14 hour delay, due to issues with the plane and flight conditions, and that they would have to stay overnight.

"Don't worry though, your room fee will be covered by the company." She said, shaking slightly because of the menacing glare she was receiving from Shizuo. "Follow the signs that lead to the airport hotel. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Shizuo grumbled, gnawing on a pixy stix, as they walked towards the airport hotel. When they arrived, they showed their boarding passes and the bellhop showed them to their room.

"I'm sorry, but this is one of the only rooms we have available at the moment," he said, revealing the room which had only one bed - a queen.

_May 4… May 4… Goddammit!_

"Lucky" Izaya thought, well he _thought _he thought it, but he had actually said it out loud.

"What?" Shizuo asked, more to confirm what he had heard than to find out.

"What? Oh, nothing Shizu-chan~" he coughed, nervously. _I can't believe I said that out loud, how embarrassing!~ Oh well, it's not something I can't cover up with a few simple lies. Still… what was I thinking? I mean, sure, Shizuo can be kind and gentle if he wants to, even sweet, but still… Gaah, why can't I read him like I can read other humans?! I have no idea what the meanings behind his actions are. Gosh Shizu-chan~ why have you got me so confused?_

_May 4… May 4… May FUCKING 4… Maybe if I ask Izaya he'll know. Wait, Izaya? That's right… May 4 has something to do with him… His birthday! Thank _fuck_ I remembered that, I was just about to beat the shit out of my own brain. Should I do something…? Would Izaya even appreciate it if I did? It's probably best if I act like I didn't remember… _However, Shizuo suddenly remembered the cake that Izaya had been looking at, and decided to act.

"Stay here," he said before dashing out the door, leaving Izaya standing dumbfounded in the centre of the room.

_I just don't get you Shizu-chan~_

Ten minutes passed, and Izaya sat alone on the bed in the room, wondering if, perhaps, his slip of the tongue earlier had been the cause for Shizuo's unpredicted actions. All of a sudden, Shizuo reentered the room. He was slightly out of breath. He walked over to the desk in the room, placing the plastic bag he was holding onto it. Izaya cocked his head curiosly as Shizuo reached into the bag and pulled out a medium sized, white box. Shizuo then walked over to him and placed the box on his lap.

"Happy birthday," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact as a pinkish hue began to appear on his cheeks.

_What? It's my birthday? _Izaya looked at the digital clock in the room which displayed the time and date. _Oh yeah, it is. I didn't even remember. _He opened the lid of the box to reveal a coffee cheesecake, the very one he had been looking at earlier that day. Izaya didn't like sweets that much, but the idea of a bitter coffee cheesecake was very pleasing to him.

_Why is Shizuo doing this? Why is he being so kind to me?! Especially after I've treated him so bad… _Izaya felt his pulse begin to race, and his face began to turn an equal shade to Shizuo's.

"Why?" he found himself asking.

"Why? Well.. I don't know.. because you're my… friend.. or something.. I don't know, you just looked like you wanted to eat it earlier so," Shizuo replied, embarrassed because he had called Izaya his _friend_.

_Friend? Shizuo thinks of me as his friend? _Izaya's heart began to beat faster. _I've never.. had a real friend before. Is this what friends do? _

_BA-BUMP. _Izaya stared down at the cake on his lap.

_BA-BUMP. _

_BA-BUMP._The world appeared to be moving in slow motion, and so did his body. It was shaking, and his breathing was irregular.

_BA-BUMP._

_BA-BUMP. _He reached out his right arm and grabbed onto Shizuo's collar, lifting his head and staring into Shizuo's mocha eyes.

_BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. _His body began moving on it's own. His mind couldn't control it any longer. All he could hear was the beating of his heart getting louder and louder as he moved closer to the blond.

_Ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump. _It was now or never. Izaya pulled with his right arm, bring Shizuo's face so that it was less than an inch from his. His body felt hot, and his heart felt like it was clawing at his chest. He closed his eyes and let his heart take control of his body.

It felt like a spark of electricity shot through his body as his lips firmly planted onto Shizuo's. They were warm and soft, but unresponsive. Shizuo stood there, dumbfounded, with his eyes wide open in shock. Izaya broke the kiss out of embarrassment. _So I was wrong, huh? Great. I wish I could just go die in a hole. Fuck, I've never been so embarrassed in my l-_

The electricity spark shot through Izaya's body once more, but this time it was intensified immensely. He felt a warm hand on the side of his face, and a second later, Shizuo smashed his lips onto Izaya's. Izaya closed his eyes and kissed back. The cake slid off his lap and, fortunately, landed right side up on the floor. Shizuo took the opportunity to push Izaya back onto the bed. Izaya instinctively wrapped his arms around Shizuo's neck and grabbed onto his hair, pulling him closer. When Shizuo's tongue asked Izaya for permission to enter by passionately sliding along his bottom lip, Izaya willingly opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. Izaya battled Shizuo for dominance in vain, surprised at Shizuo's skill. _Where did he learn to kiss like THAT!? _ They broke the kiss only to breathe.

The embrace ended innocently when the pair silently decided to call it a night. Izaya lay in bed, facing out, trying in vain to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Shizuo. It was awkward and embarrassing, but he had almost wished that it hadn't ended where it did. Suddenly he felt a warm arm wrap around his waste. Shizuo lay next to him, his front pressed up against Izaya's back.

"You know flea, I think that I might not hate you… that much"

* * *

**Oh god, that was so cheesy. I haven't written a scene like that before, I think it was pretty bad :S I was going to take it a bit further, but it didn't feel right. There's always next time ;) **

**Once again, thanks for reviews, favs and follows! And of course, thanks for reading! 3**


	8. Chapter 8 - Misunderstanding

**So, we're studying Othello in class, and I can't help but notice the similarities between Iago and Izaya. Please tell me I'm not the only one who notices this?! I mean, Iago is diabolical, smart, messes with people for no apparent reason... That is Izaya! I can't read any of his lines without imagining Izaya saying them. AND there are even similarities between Othello and Shizuo! Like how Othello becomes a monster fuelled by rage ****_all because of Iago. _****Sound familiar?**

**Anyway, I'll leave you with that thought. Here's the next chappy! Sorry that it's very melodramatic hahaha.**

* * *

The flight to Ikebukuro was, to say the least, incredibly awkward. Not much was said and, as the entertainment system had been fixed, the two watched separate movies. After all, with personalities as different as theirs, there was not much they had in common, especially when it came to movie preferences.

During the flight, Izaya kept stealing glances at Shizuo, who was completely immersed in the nature documentary he was watching. Each time, he would turn away quickly, hoping that Shizuo hadn't noticed him staring. He had a movie playing, but he wasn't really watching it. He couldn't stop thinking about Shizuo, especially about how Shizuo was acting like nothing had happened, like they hadn't _kissed_ the previous night. His stomach fluttered at the memory, and his cheeks flushed. Once again, he turned his head to look at Shizuo, and once again, he was ignored. Maybe it was his pride, or maybe it was sheer embarrassment but he refused to be the one to make the first move, or to bring up the _recent development_ in their relationship.

_Has it even developed? _Izaya thought, frustrated that Shizuo was giving him _nothing, _no actions to judge from, no clues as to how he feels, or felt, about the night. _What if his actions were out of pity for me, or to save me from embarrassment… Did it mean nothing to him? _Thoughts like that had been constantly plaguing Izaya's mind since the early morning.

As unromantic as real life is, sleeping in a spooning position all night can quickly become incredibly uncomfortable. The pair had woken up on opposite sides of the bed, and Shizuo's actions were exactly the same as they would have been if he hadn't shared an intimate embrace with Izaya. Izaya had hoped that there would have been some sort of contact, some form of flirting, or _at least_ some blushing and tsundere style denial of affection. (_After all, Shizu-chan is totally tsundere~,_ he mused to himself.) But no. There was nothing. Just a normal day, like every other day they'd shared together in this new world. It almost felt like their relationship had gone _backwards_, as the 'friend', or even 'more than friend', status Izaya had felt the pervious day didn't even seem to exist.

_Why won't you DO anything?! Talk to me! Say my name! God dammit Shizuo, just LOOK at me. Please…_

Izaya felt sick. Not the 'I-guess-I-am-in-love-with-my-mortal-enemy' type of sick, but the depressed kind. Izaya knew this feeling. He'd felt it plenty of times before, unlike the other. He felt like crying, but there was no way in hell he'd let Shizuo see that side of him. He let his dark hair fall over his watering auburn eyes, trying desperately not to think about Shizuo.

_Just think about humans. Lovely, fantastic, intriguing and stupid humans. Think about Ikebukuro, Shinra and Celty, and all the other incredibly interesting humans. Don't think about Shizuo. Exactly, don't think about him. STOP thinking about him. Think about something else. Not Shizuo, something else. Don't think about how you might not ever get back to the Ikebukuro you know, and DEFINITELY don't think about how your, stupid, unreasonable, unfathomable love for your fucking mortal enemy, for god sakes, might be unrequited.._

Nothing in Izaya's power could stop the salty tear from leaking out his eye. He quickly brushed away the shining droplet which had rolled down his cheek, hoping that Shizuo hadn't noticed. A flood of emotions, one like he had never experienced before, was plaguing his entire body. It took his entire willpower to stop himself from breaking down. No human had ever caused Izaya to feel like this before. He didn't even think witnessing the death of his own two sisters could make him feel worse.

_Why is love so incredibly painful?_

* * *

Shizuo had never felt so embarrassed in his life. Nor had he felt so _nervous. _Dammit, he was so nervous he couldn't even _look _at Izaya. His heart would speed up to the point where he was sure he'd have a heart attack if it went one beat faster. He could barely breathe, let alone bring himself to talk to Izaya. To be honest, he had his doubts about Izaya's intentions. He had known for quite a while that the feelings he had towards Izaya were probably something to do with love, but he definitely hadn't noticed Izaya returning them. A little strand of doubt told him that Izaya, being as observant as he is, had picked up on his feelings and was just messing with him. After all, no amount physical damage is the same as psychological damage, and he knew that Izaya would know that too. He didn't want to open up to the flea, in case it was just a joke. After all, he could picture Izaya's reaction after he opened up - only to realise everything was a stupid joke - and it wasn't pretty. He knew that nothing would be more shameful than that, so he kept his mouth shut.

_Izaya's always so confident.. If last night meant something to him, he'll do something about it. I can just keep quiet until then. I'll act like nothing has happened, that way if it is some stupid joke he'll have nothing to use against me. _

Shizuo felt a lump growing in his throat when they reached the airport and Izaya still hadn't said anything. There were multiple times where he had just wanted to scoop the flea up in his arms and feel the warmth of his body, but he resisted with everything he had because of that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that kept on saying 'Izaya will act unless he's playing around'.

_I guess he must have been playing around… Fuck this. _

* * *

**Writers block = Short chapter. Sorry! **

**Probably only 2 or 3 chapters left of the story :( But I've got some possible ideas for prequels, sequels and even spin-offs.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! You're all wonderful and I love you! **


	9. Chapter 9 - Canadian Sushi!

Celty returned to her apartment, late and exhausted. Shinra greeted her cheerfully, as per usual, before donning a concerned expression on his face.

"Any luck?" he asked cautiously. Celty took off her helmet and pulled out her phone.

[No. I haven't found anything.]

She slumped down on the lounge across from Shinra, whose face was slightly disappointed for two reasons. One reason being, of course, that she hadn't selected to sit next to him, and the other reason being that she hadn't found any information on their missing friends. Although it was in character for Izaya to disappear from time to time, Shizuo was never the type of person to do such a thing. Normally he would have at least informed Kasuka, possibly even Celty, if he had planned on leaving town, but not even Kasuka knew of his whereabouts. Celty had been searching for days. Looking for any sort of clue as to where her friends had gone. Partly it was at the request of Kasuka and Izaya's sisters, but she also felt major concern for the pair and feared that the worst possibility could have occurred.

"I suppose they could have just killed each other, that would explain a lot," Shinra said, half seriously. Smoke fumed from Celty's neck as she typed furiously on her phone.

[Shinra! Don't joke about something like that!]

"I'm sorry," Shinra apologised, realising that his comment had upset the Dullahan when he noticed her shoulders shaking lightly.

[I'm sorry too, for snapping at you. It's just that… I'm starting to think you could be right.]

"I'm sure they're fine," Shinra said, wrapping his arm around Celty's shoulders to comfort her. "They're both super tough, trust me, I know. Get some rest tonight and start looking tomorrow morning. Don't give up on them Celty."

_Shinra can be an annoying jerk sometimes, but he always knows how to say the right thing._

[You're right. Thank you Shinra.]

"Any time for you Celty~"

* * *

Ikebukuro was bustling and noisy, but to Shizuo and Izaya it was silent. _Too_ silent. This was partly because there were no colour gangs causing havoc, no headless Dullahans riding around on neighing motorcycles, and no flying vending machines, but it was also partly because neither of them had said a word to each other. The mutual silence hadn't ended, and the tension was only growing stronger and stronger. They both felt sick to their stomachs, but neither of them realised that the other was feeling exactly the same.

They walked in silence down the streets of Ikebukuro. Izaya noticed that almost everything was identical, _almost_ everything. There were a few streets where there weren't normally streets, and a few buildings were completely different.

_Canadian sushi?! _Izaya noticed questionably when they walked past the building which, in normal circumstances, would have been Simon's workplace and one of his favourite places to eat.

Shizuo suddenly began to pick up his pace, causing him to be leading the way instead of Izaya. Izaya had to walk quite quickly to keep up with Shizuo's long strides. Shizuo kept on walking, and Izaya soon realised that they were heading to the place where his small house would normally be located. When they arrived, there was nothing but a pile of rubble in the lot where Shizuo's home would have been, and Shizuo's look of disappointment was almost heartbreaking. They both, although they refused to admit it, felt incredibly homesick. Shizuo missed his little brother, he missed Celty and he even missed Shinra… just a little bit. He hadn't thought much about the possibility that he might not ever return to the people he called his friends, but the harshness of that possibility was just beginning to sink in. He wouldn't have minded _as_ much if he and Izaya had been talking, but the awkward tension between them was almost unbearable. He wanted more than anything to return, but he had no idea how.

Izaya could tell how Shizuo was feeling. Right now, his actions couldn't be easier to read. He wanted to go back. Truthfully, Izaya did too. Not only would he have pissed off a lot of clients, but he was really starting to miss the life he lived. He had been constantly thinking of ways that could possibly cause them to return, but he never came up with anything he was completely satisfied with. One idea came close, but it was un-reliable and, if it failed, could end in a broken nose. Still, seeing the look of pain on Shizuo's face was too much to bare, and he decided that it was worth a shot.

"I think," Izaya began, "there might be a possible way to return." His tone was serious and sad, like something had been troubling him. His face stayed hidden behind his dark fringe.

Shizuo looked at him in disbelief, but his eyes pleaded that Izaya was telling the truth.

"Follow me," Izaya said, turning away from Shizuo who _hadn't even bothered to say anything_.

Izaya walked with Shizuo following close behind until they arrived at a familiar road. It was a road where many of their fights had taken place, specifically where their last one had ended. Izaya stepped forward until he was standing, as close as he could remember, to the place he was when he was about to get hit in the face by Shizuo's flying fist.

"Hit me," he said, gesturing to his face whilst still avoiding eye contact.

"What? Why?!"

"Just do it. Like you did before."

"What the hell? I don't want to hit you!"

"Shizuo, please!" His fists were balled and his nails dug into his hands. He was so frustrated with Shizuo, for everything. _Just hit me you god damn protozoan._

Hearing Izaya say his full name always stunned Shizuo, but the way Izaya's voice was shaking when he said it caused him to be lost for words.

_Just hit me!_

"Why would I do that!?" Shizuo asked, raising his voice suddenly.

"Because you… because you…" Izaya stammered. He sniffed and turned his head to the side. Shizuo couldn't see his eyes, but he knew that they would have been shining with welled up tears.

"Are you… crying?" he asked, bluntly. He had never seen Izaya in such a weak state before, and he couldn't describe the emotions it was making him feel, but he didn't like it one bit. _Izaya is not allowed to be weak _he thought.

"Ha!" Izaya snapped, "Go ahead. Laugh. You've already done enough. I guess I was wrong when I thought there was _NOTHING ELSE_ that could make me feel worse. I don't get it! Take the damn opportunity to hit me! I'm practically _OFFERING _you a victory here! Isn't that what you wanted?! Fuck this. This is why I chose to be above humans! All these shitty emotions… I didn't need them. But then _you_ waltz in, fuck around with my head, and break all my defences with that stupid mouth of yours! You know what, Shizu-chan?! Fuck you! Fuc-"

Shizuo wrapped his arms tightly around Izaya's body. He placed his head in the crook of Izaya's neck and sighed. _GOD_ had he been an idiot. All this time, he was the one making Izaya cry. He wanted to hit himself. Izaya stared out into the distance, his eyes still clouded with tears - tears of frustration, rage and sadness - but they had stopped flowing.

"I'm so sorry, Izaya," Shizuo breathed into his neck, still refusing to let go.

"Shizu-chan, you idiot," Izaya replied softly, giving in to the hug and wrapping his arms around Shizuo's neck, quietly sobbing into his dyed blond hair.

They stayed like that for minutes until Shizuo stood up, breaking the hug only slightly, to face Izaya in the eyes. His heart was beating rapidly, as was Izaya's. Shizuo scanned the features of his face, starting at his eyes before glancing down his nose and stopping to stare at his mouth. He leaned in, glancing up into Izaya's eyes, as if asking for permission, before looking back down at his mouth. He moved closer, stopping when his lips were millimetres from Izaya's.

"Izaya," he mumbled "I… I… lov-"

Izaya couldn't hold back any longer. Shizuo's lips were so close to his that he could almost taste them. He leant in the rest of the way and smashed his cold lips onto Shizuo's warm ones. Izaya's lips tasted salty from the tears, but Shizuo didn't mind as he roughly kissed back.

A white light sparked at the start of the kiss, and expanded rapidly at Shizuo's reaction. The light felt warm and familiar, but Shizuo and Izaya were too distracted to care. The light expanded some more until had completely engulfed them.

They blacked out.

* * *

**Final chapter coming soon, but there will be a sequel (which I've already planned at least 2 chapters for)!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10 - The end?

**Hello everyone! The final chapter is finally here! I'd just like to give a special thanks everyone who read, favourited, followed and reviewed my story. Thanks so much for the ever-so-encouraging comments. **

**I hope you enjoy the final chapter of "Into the real world,' and I hope that you found it as fun to read as I found it to write.**

* * *

"Shizu…chan?" Izaya asked, blinking his eyes whilst scanning his surroundings.

"Shizu-chan, you can come out now~" he said playfully, continuing to look around. Panic filled his voice as Shizuo was nowhere to be seen.

"Shizu-chan… this isn't funny! Shizuo!"

* * *

Celty and Shinra woke up to the sound of pelting rain on their apartment roof. Sure enough, when Shinra opened the blinds, it was _pouring. _He turned to look at Celty, raising an eyebrow as if to ask 'you sure you don't want to stay home today?' Celty stood quiet for a moment before reaching for her phone.

[I'll stay home for a while, incase the weather clears up a bit… but I'm leaving at noon.]

Shinra smiled and sighed._ Ah well, can't change her mind once she's set on something._

Celty showered while Shinra prepared the best omelette he could. He may have been fantastic with his hands when it came to surgeries and other things involving the human body, but when it came to cooking he was just below average.

The rain continued to pour all through the morning and in to the late afternoon. The sky was thundering angrily, an occasional flash of lightening brightening up the dark clouds that engulfed the city. Just as Celty was preparing to leave and return to her search, she noticed what looked like an incredibly bright flash of lightening striking the ground a few blocks away. It was suspiciously large, and didn't appear to have come from the sky. She grabbed her helmet and bolted out the door of the apartment, diving onto her motorcycle and speeding towards the source of the light. She didn't know what she expected to find when she arrived, but she had this feeling that she needed to get there.

When she arrived she was shocked, but mostly relieved, to see Shizuo standing out in the rain. She noticed that he was frantically looking around, so she got off her bike and walked over to him, typing excitedly on her phone. She approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, holding out her phone for him to read.

[Shizuo! Where have you been?! We were so-]

Shizuo ignored the message, startling Celty as he placed his hands firmly onto her shoulders.

"Where is Izaya?!" He asked, half angrily, but his tone was desperate.

[Izaya? I don't know. He's been missing as long as you have been.]

"I know that! But where is he now?! Is he back?!" Anger fired in Shizuo's eyes. Celty presumed that Izaya had been the cause of his disappearance, and the anger she was witnessing now was Shizuo's desire for revenge. She had no idea that it was really fear and desperation.

[Calm down Shizuo. I'm sure he can't be far.]

"Calm down? Calm down?! Gimme your phone," he said before snatching the phone out of Celty's hands and walking away from her, dialling Izaya's number. Celty was about to grab Shizuo with her shadows, for rudely snatching away her phone, when she noticed something. He was wearing Izaya's jacket.

"Pick up!" Shizuo shouted at the phone. "Dammit flea, pick up your fucking phone!"

_Shit. He's not answering. What if he's still… No. There's no way. No way in fucking hell.. I won't accept it. _

He turned when Celty tapped him on the shoulder again. She held out both her hands. One was motioning for him to return her phone, the other held out a black helmet crafted from her shadows. When Shizuo swapped the phone for the helmet, Celty typed,

[I'll take you around Ikebukuro. We'll look for Izaya. Keep calling his phone.]

She then handed her phone back to Shizuo and jumped on her bike. Shizuo followed and Celty took off at an alarming speed.

They searched every street, every alley, every building that Izaya was associated with, all while Shizuo was constantly ringing and ringing Izaya's number, alternating from his multiple work numbers to his personal mobile and home phone. There was no answer. When they had searched every nook and cranny in Ikebukuro, they continued their search into Shinjuku. When they arrived at Izaya's apartment, Shizuo leaped off the motorbike and ran up the door, casually smashing it down with his monstrous, strength. Celty noticed that Shizuo had left her phone on her bike so she picked it up messaged Mikado.

[Shizuo is back. I don't know the full story, but Izaya is still missing. Tell the Dollars to keep up the search for Izaya. Let me know if they find any information.]

She doubted that they'd be able to find anything. She had asked Mikado for the Dollars' help when the pair first disappeared, and to this day no members were able to find out anything.

When she looked up, Shizuo was storming angrily out of Izaya's apartment, clearly having found nothing. He bit back tears of frustration as he positioned himself on the back of Celty's bike, not wanting to show the Dullahan his weak side.

_Damn it all… _

Back at Celty's apartment, Shinra greeted Shizuo cheerfully, occasionally throwing in a 'I knew you weren't dead' and some other overly cheerful remarks that made Shizuo want to punch him in the face. Celty punched Shinra for him on the shoulder, causing the mood to become more serious.

[Shizuo… Tell us what happened.]

Shizuo talked. He told them everything - minus the details about him and Izaya. When he finished talking, Celty and Shinra exchanged skeptical glances. Shizuo certainly wasn't the type of person who would be capable of making up a lie as extravagant as this, so they felt obliged to believe his story. After all, they had both experienced so many weird things - things that should have been impossible. What harm would come from believing Shizuo? They all sat in silence while Shinra and Celty processed what they had just heard.

"So," Shinra spoke up, "the point you're making is… you think Izaya is still… _there_?"

"Tch." Shizuo quickly left the apartment, his blonde hair covering his face.

He walked back to the road - the place where he had last seen Izaya. He clenched his fists, and took a deep breath.

"IIIIIIIZZZZAAAAAAYAAAAA-KUN" he roared at the top of his lungs. He gripped the chest area of Izaya's jacket tightly.

_Wait for me, Izaya. I'll definitely come back for you. _

* * *

**'Oh no. Not a cliffhanger ending!' - fear not, dear reader. Keep your eyes peeled for 'Return to the real world'**

**Feel free to PM me if you have any suggestions for the sequel (perhaps scenes that you had wanted to see) or if you just wanna have a chat. (After all, I don't have any friends who like anime... :.**

**Once again, thank you so much for reading!**

**OH, and finally, 'YourLuckyWish', did it end the way you had predicted?**


	11. (A little late) SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT

**[ A/N ] Hi everyone. I probably should have done this ages ago, but I didn't think to do this until I saw a similar thing on someone else's fic. **

**Anyway, for those of you who follow this story, and were looking forward to the sequel but haven't bothered to browse for it - is has been published!**

**[ s/9540773/1/Return-to-the-real-world ]**

**Yeah, now because I think this kinda thing is actually against the rules (seeing as it's not actually a chapter) here's a little mini story about Izaya and his companion. (It'll probably make more sense if you've read 'Return to the real world')**

* * *

Izaya stood and admired his work. Lined up all around the apartment were little cereal boxes, the type often found at breakfast buffets in hotels, which had been decorated to look like mini vending machines. Along with those, there were also hand crafted, miniature, street signs. Now that his enemy was armed, Izaya walked over to the kitchen counter and armed himself, stuffing his weapon of choice into his pocket.

Everything was in place. Izaya grinned mischievously.

_Time to release the beast._

"Oh Shizuuuu~"

Izaya opened the door to his bedroom, and Shizu-nyan bounded out towards him. Izaya jumped backwards, dodging all the mini vending machines the clumsy kitten knocked in his direction, and pulled out his weapon. Catnip.

He thrust the catnip at Shizu-nyan, causing the cat to become even more angered, charging at Izaya. In reality the cat, of course, was not angry, but instead was just extremely interested in the catnip.

"You damn flea" Izaya imagined Shizu-nyan mewing.

"Catch me if you can, Shizu-nyan~" Izaya said, genuinely laughing for the first time in months.

Shizu-nyan's eyes glittered cheekily as he crouched down, not taking his eyes off the catnip in Izaya's hands.

When Izaya let his guard down for just a moment, Shizu-nyan pounced, landing on Izaya's chest and subsequently knocking him off his feet.

"You're strong for a little kitty~" Izaya said as he lifted the small animal above his head before nuzzling its nose with his own. "Just like Shizu-chan~!"

Shizu-nyan mewed happily, licking Izaya on the cheek with its rough tongue.

"How about we get you some milk~?"

"Mew mew"

"I'll take that as a yes then, Shizu-nyan~"

_You really are just like Shizu-chan. If only he was as cute and cuddly~"_


End file.
